VIDEO: Hillary man collects 18 Thousand bottle tops for QuadPara wheelchair project
Andrew said his brother had helped him count the bottle tops.
AS he walks to work Andrew McInnes has made a habit of scanning the ground for any extra bottle tops to add to his collection.
The man, who turns 50 this year, walks everyday as part of his job as a car guard at Limnos Square in Hillary.
“I make sure people are safe and keep an eye on their cars for them,” he explained.
“I know so many people due to my work. I enjoy making sure they are safe.”
ALSO READ: Join Westville attorneys and run for rhinos
When he isn’t looking after others or collecting bottle tops and other lids, McInnes said he has three main loves in his life.
“I love Man United, the Sharks and Elvis Presley,” he said with a grin.
ALSO READ: Queensburgh’s Grace 4 Babies makes invaluable difference with over 700 parcels
“Elvis is the King, and I am a life long supporter of the Sharks and Man United.”
He said he spent some time working in Sherwood at Challenge Unlimited, as well as some time in Durban North before moving to his sister’s home in Bellair eight years ago.
Bottle tops
McInnes said he has been collecting lids from a variety of containers and drink bottles for over a year and a half now.
“I look out for them while I walk to my work as a car guard,” he said.
His family are avid recyclers and carefully separate all their waste and even use their food waste to create compost for the garden.
When the Queensburgh News visited McInnes at home he was proud to show off the 18 000 bottle tops and lids he had collected which were, shortly after the visit given to a representative of QuadPara South Africa’a (QASA) donations department as part of their Breadtags for Wheelchairs initiative which began in 2006.
ALSO READ: Queensburgh boy with Cerebral Palsy needs special wheelchair
The programme is a joint initiative between QASA and the Polystyrene Packaging Council started by a retired nurse from the Western Cape who knew first hand how important mobility is for people with physical disabilities.
What began with just bread tags has grown over the past 14 years into a recycling project which uses proceeds made from the collected bread tags and bottle caps to buy wheelchairs.
To find out how you can contribute to this cause like Andrew has, email projectcoordinator@qasa.co.za, or contact Natalie@polystyrenepackaging.co.za
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. 
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
